Uttalandet från Aston Villa
Ellis och hans trojka försvinner och Lerner och hans grabbar tar över.
Following the recommended cash offer for Aston Villa plc ("Aston Villa") made by Reform Acquisitions Limited on 14 August 2006, Douglas Ellis OBE, the Executive Chairman of Aston Villa, and Mr Stephen Kind, Mr Anthony Hales, Mr David Owen and Mr Peter Ellis, Non-Executive Directors of Aston Villa, have each resigned from the board of directors of Aston Villa with effect from today. Steve Stride remains an executive director on the board of Aston Villa.
Aston Villa is pleased to announce the appointment of Randolph Lerner as Chairman and General Charles C. Krulak, Bob Kain and Michael Martin as new Non-Executive Directors. The appointments are effective from today.
Randolph Lerner is the owner of the Cleveland Browns Football Club, USA, a franchise founded in 1946 as a member of the All-America Football Conference.
Prior to his involvement with the Cleveland Browns Football Club, Mr Lerner spent 11 years in investment management. In 1991, Mr Lerner started an independent investment firm with Progressive Corporation called Securities Advisors, Inc., which he owned and managed. The firm was started for the purpose of investment management. Mr Lerner operated the firm until 2002 when responsibilities resulting from the loss of his father required that he dissolve it. In the period from November 2002 until December 2005, Mr Lerner served as Chairman of MBNA Corporation and for the period from 1999 to 2002, Mr Lerner served as the Chairman of MBNA Europe, headquartered in Chester, England.
General Charles C. Krulak is currently a director of ConocoPhillips and Phelps Dodge, two US based multinational corporations, and Union Pacific Corporation. He is the former Commandant of the US Marine Corps and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Following his retirement from the USMC, he became Chief Executive Officer of MBNA Europe. General Krulak retired from MBNA Europe in the Spring of 2005.
Bob Kain was formerly the president and co-chief executive officer and is currently a director of IMG, a premier sports management and marketing agency.
Mr Kain's career has been defined by his achievements in player representation, stadium and event marketing and the evolving role of new media in sports and event marketing generally.
Michael Martin is President of Brooklyn NY Holdings, LLC ("BNYH"), the asset and investment management company of the Lerner family. Prior to joining BNYH, Mr Martin was Vice Chairman of Investment Banking at UBS Securities and Global Head of that firm's Financial Institutions Group. Prior to joining UBS in 2002, Mr Martin was a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse First Boston, where he worked for 15 years. Michael is also an admitted member of the New York State bar.
Other than as disclosed above, there are no matters in connection with these appointments to be disclosed under paragraph 9.6.13 of the Listing Rules of the
UK Listing Authority.
In the extraordinary circumstances of the offer, Aston Villa has decided that it will open and immediately propose that its Annual General Meeting, to be held on 29 September 2006, be adjourned until 30 November 2006.
